By Youri Sawerschel
The hospitality industry is anything but dull. Each year brings with it a bounty of exciting destinations, revolutionary new hotels and glamorous renovations. But whereas the challenges of the previous 20 years were mainly tied to one overarching paradigm shift – digitization – the decade ahead brings with it a number of industry disrupting trends and events that are changing what it means to be a hotelier.
Beyond traditional amenities
10 years ago, hoteliers were still wondering if they should invest in in-room Wi-Fi (yes) and charge guests extra for the service (no). What has them biting their nails now is whether or not to become retailers, neighborhood cafes, co working spaces or art galleries. Every part of the hotel business, from changing customer expectations to interior design and zoning, is being challenged. The traditional selling-rooms and-breakfast business model no longer reflects what it means to manage a hotel. Hence the need for a new unifying concept.
Hotel Koé, Tokyo – Pivoting on the three keywords ‘Stay’, ‘Fashion’ and ‘Music’, its fusion of the ordinary with the extraordinary generates new experiences and culture.
Building on a story
A hotel concept integrates the constituent elements of hotel management into a coherent and compelling whole. Starting with its unique story, it defines what a hotel looks like, what services it offers, how it presents and markets itself and how its staff interacts with guests. In this context, hoteliers need clarity and insight, which is precisely why Creative Supply and EHL have developed the Hotel Concept Handbook.
Download the Hotel Concept Handbook Now
The Covid-19 situation forces hoteliers to stop and prepare for the future. The Hotel Concept Handbook brings ideas and solutions to develop a strong concept and start again from scratch – Youri Sawerschel – Founder and CEO of Creative Supply.
A hands-on tool to develop or renovate a hotel project
Building on an extensive experience working with and educating both leading hospitality brands and independent hoteliers, Creative Supply and EHL have put together a guide presenting the major trends that affect the industry, from retail convergence to community integration to help hoteliers better adapt to their complex and ever changing environment.
This handbook is the ultimate hands-on guide for ambitious hoteliers who want to create or refine their hotel concept, and challenge today’s vision of hospitality — complete with case studies showing the Hotel Concept Framework in action.
Some of the benefits of using the Hotel Concept Framework:
- Gain a better understanding of what goes into a good hotel concept, and how its constituent elements come together
- Acquire an essential tool to guide the development or refurbishment of a hotel
- Align all stakeholders (staff, investors, journalists, etc.) around one clear concept
- Stand out from the crowd with a holistic vision that goes far beyond interior design
The Sheldon Chalet, Alaska. More than a place to stay – It’s an opportunity. “Experience Grand” at the exclusive destination on the flanks of North America’s highest mountain.
The framework, developed by Creative Supply in partnership with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, has been used to create winning hotel concepts. For hoteliers, it helps to create integrated, compelling concepts that attract the interest of guests and industry professionals alike by linking storytelling to operations or design. The Hotel Concept Framework is taught every year to students at EHL.
